1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of safety equipment for vehicles. More specifically the present invention relates to a vehicle evacuation system which provides a series of interdependent steps set forth in a system instruction sheet and provides an apparatus including system elements for performing these steps for escape from a cabin of a motor vehicle which has strayed from the road into a body of water and is sinking or has already sunk. The system includes element unification structures such as interconnection cords and a containment bag for holding the system elements together in a readily accessible configuration prior to and during use; a cutting tool for cutting through a seat belt; a glass breaking tool for breaking the glass in a vehicle window through which to escape; a combined compressed breathable air tank, regulator and mouthpiece from which a person receives breathable air during vehicle escape; a combined buoy bag, compressed gas cartridge and means for release and delivery of the compressed gas from the cartridge into the buoy bag for inflating the buoy bag and lifting a disoriented escaping person to the surface of the body of water, the buoy bag preferably including an attached wrist strap for fitting around and thereby engaging a wrist of an escaping person so that the inflated buoy bag does not slip away from him or her; and a distress and position indicating signal generating means for sending an electromagnetic alarm signal to a receiving station, the signal being trackable by a conventional tracking means such as a direction finder or a global positioning system for emergency workers to follow and rapidly locate a distressed person. The inclusion of all of these cooperative elements is necessary for performance of all steps needed for assured escape and timely rescue. A person in a submerged vehicle could drown for absence of any missing element, such as from inability to free himself or herself from seat belts, for being too disoriented to swim in the direction of the water surface, for inability to swim, or from prolonged exposure which in some regions would include hypothermia for lack of any means to signal and give locating information to remote rescue workers. It is further preferred that the system include a pair of goggles to aid the escaping person in seeing underwater and include a waterproof strobe light within enclosed power source to draw the attention of onlookers and searchers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years increasing numbers of people have drowned in automobiles which have strayed off roads into canals and lakes, most of whom were not impared and could have been a saved with access to the proper tools. This tragic trend has been documented in broadcast and print media, such as Canal deaths defy easy solution/80 Crashes have claimed 99 lives from 1996-2000, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Section A, Nov. 18, 2001:
xe2x80x9cThe Ellis children were among 99 people in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties from 1996 to 2000 who died after vehicles plunged into canals or other bodies of water. The Sun-Sentinel examined 80 fatal crash records during that five-year period that involved vehicles plunging into water.
xe2x80x9cMost of the crashes occurred in good weather. Few of the vehicles had defects. In the majority of cases, age and driving experience did not appear to be factors, and drivers were not drinking or under the influence of drugs.xe2x80x9d Another such newspaper article is Drivers have ultimate responsibility for averting tragedy/Barriers help but safety experts say motorists must protect themselves, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Section A, Nov. 19, 2001.
A number of devices have been provided for aiding in survival and escape from capsized ships and submerged automobiles. Some of these devices have been helpful, but only up to a certain point. All have lacked means for completely effecting an escape and rescue. And, unfortunately, there is no such thing as a partial escape or a partial rescue. If the device is insufficient to permit complete escape and rescue, the result is the same as if no device had been present at all.
One such prior device is that of Blanchette, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,374, issued on Apr. 6, 1993, for an aerial location self-actuating emergency sea surface marker for capsized vessels. Blanchette includes a buoy stored in a canister secured to a vessel which may be either a water craft or an air craft. The buoy has automatic inflation means from a compressed gas container which is automatically actuated by contact with water or by pressure resulting from capsizing of the vessel. Seams of the canister are constructed to break so that the canister opens or explodes upon actuation and releases an inflating bladder. A portion of the canister incorporates a feed line on a rotating spool connecting the bladder to the capsized vessel. Blanchette does not provide means for escaping from a submerged motor vehicle, does not provide a suitable system containment means for storage in or deployment from a motor vehicle (an exploding canister would not be suitable) and does not appear to provide a homing distress signal for alerting authorities of a person in distress.
Lall, U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,212, issued on Dec. 20, 1994, teaches a personal floatation equipment device. Lall is attachable to a portion of a wearer body such as a wrist and includes a housing containing an inflatable bag with a bag inlet, a pressurized gas chamber connected to the bag inlet and a valve controlling gas flow from the gas chamber into the bag. Manually opening a cover on the housing releases the inflatable bag and simultaneously opens the valve to release the compressed gas into and inflate the bag. Another, similar, device is that of Liu, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,178, issued on Dec. 21, 1999, revealing a compressed gas inflated life preserver which is connected to the body of a user such as to the waist. For both Lall and Liu, et al., the problems of Blanchette are again presented.
Lin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,191, issued on Jul. 16, 1996, reveals what is termed a life-saving assistance drive. Lin includes an electroluminescent element mounted on a netting harness fitted around an inflatable balloon. These elements are packed into a satchel attached to a securing belt. Lin once again presents the problems of Blanchette. The lighting element to help locate a victim but would only be useful for a short visible range. No remote signalling means apparently is provided.
Lin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,567, issued on Jul. 1, 1997, discloses an emergency escape apparatus for use in a car. Lin includes an apparatus handle having a striking member at one end for breaking a vehicle window, a retractable needle for puncturing an inflated air bag, a seat belt cutting blade recessed within a notch in the handle and a whistle for signalling nearby persons. Lin might free a person from a submerged vehicle, but provides no help for a person who is disoriented due to night time darkness, silted water or concussion, provides no floatation device to help the non-swimmer, and provides no long range signaling or locating means.
Collins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,543, issued on Aug. 19, 1997, teaches an emergency tool having the general configuration of a folding pocket knife. Collins includes a handle member containing a trigger-operated, spring-loaded glass breaking impact element, a folding blade for cutting seat belts and a prying structure for prying away objects in the vehicle. The problems of Lin ""567 are again presented.
Biesecker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,557, issued on Apr. 14, 1998, reveals a pocket-sized, emergency floatation device. Biesecker includes a carrying case and a clip connected to the case with a cord for anchoring the case to a shirt pocket or to a belt, the case containing an inflatable diamond-shaped collar for fitting around the neck of a person to hold his or her head above water, and means for inflating the collar. Biesecker presents the problems of Lall.
Messina, U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,056, issued on Aug. 11, 1998, discloses an emergency glass breaking tool. The tool includes an impact element mounted on a spring-loaded plunger contained within a hollow cylindrical housing. A suction cup may releasibly connect the tool to a window to be broken. The problems of Lin ""567 are again presented.
Yamabe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,916, issued on Sep. 14, 1999, teaches a hammer-equipped emergency signal device. Yamabe includes an elongate body with a grip and a device head at one end, a light bulb inside a chamber within the main body for radiating light through a glass lens at the device head, and a window breaking impact element attached to the device head. Problems with Yamabe are that no seat belt cutting means, floatation means or remote signalling means are provided.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle evacuation system which includes mechanical and electronic means for executing each step necessary for escaping from a submerged vehicle, for finding the surface and remaining afloat and for remotely signalling emergency response agencies of distress and location, and thus is made up of elements which synergistically cooperate to provide a life-saving result which none of the elements could reliably accomplish individually.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle evacuation system which is structurally unified for compact storage, and cooperatively configured for rapid and reliable access and for ready manual accessibility.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle evacuation system which is light in weight and is easily deployed.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle evacuation system which is inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A vehicle evacuation system is provided for aiding the escape of a person trapped in a cabin of a motor vehicle having a vehicle seat, a vehicle seat belt and vehicle windows, which has entered a body of water, the system including a cutting tool for cutting through a vehicle seat belt; a glass breaking tool for breaking a glass vehicle window to create an opening through which to escape; a combined compressed breathable air tank and mouthpiece for delivering breathable air to the person during escape from the vehicle; a combined buoy bag, compressed gas cartridge and mechanism for release and delivery of compressed gas from the compressed gas cartridge into the buoy bag for lifting the person to the surface of the body of water, the buoy bag including an attached wrist strap for fitting around and thereby engaging a wrist of the person; a distress and position indicating signal generating mechanism for sending an alarm signal to a receiving station, the alarm signal being trackable by a tracking device for emergency workers to rapidly locate the person; and an element unification structure for holding elements of the system together in a readily accessible configuration prior to and during use.
The system preferably additionally includes goggles for aiding the person in seeing underwater. The system preferably still additionally includes a waterproof light and power source and light activation circuit for signalling nearby persons. The glass breaking tool preferably is a center punch. The cutting tool preferably is a line cutter, but alternatively may be a folding pocket knife. The element unification structure preferably includes at least one system element interconnection cord. The element unification structure preferably includes a system element containment bag.
A vehicle evacuation system is further provided for aiding the escape of a person trapped in a cabin of a motor vehicle having a vehicle seat, a vehicle seat belt and vehicle windows, which has entered a body of water, the system including a glass breaking tool for breaking a glass vehicle window to create an opening through which to escape; a combined compressed breathable air tank and mouthpiece for delivering breathable air to the person during escape from the vehicle; a combined buoy bag, compressed gas cartridge and a mechanism for release and delivery of compressed gas from the compressed gas cartridge into the buoy bag for lifting the person to the surface of the body of water; and includes an element unification structure for holding elements of the system together in a readily accessible configuration prior to use. The buoy bag preferably includes an attached body engaging strap for fitting around and thereby engaging part of the body of the person.